


Ribbons of Change

by fadingintostarlight



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2020-06-22 10:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19665571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadingintostarlight/pseuds/fadingintostarlight
Summary: (They broke up. She said she wouldn't be able to manage the long distance. He quietly disagreed, noting her reluctance, but kept his suspicions to himself. She said they weren't compatible anymore. He resigned himself to thinking of the small moments where he'd tease her and she'd laugh, when he'd name a literary reference and she'd smack at him gently, getting it before anyone else. She said the spark was gone. He tried to ignore the tingle in his hand when she clutched it for the last time, or the clenching of his heart as she uttered a final goodbye.)It's been five years since Betty Cooper had set foot in Riverdale - keeping to her vow of not returning. Archie and Veronica's wedding drew her there as Veronica's Maid of Honour, not realising who the Archie's Best Man was - her ex-boyfriend and partner in crime, Jughead Jones. When a single murder at the wedding spurs on a series of duplicate attacks across the town, Riverdale's former detective duo decide to come together one last time to catch the villain once and for all. With secrets revealed, promises broken and lies spun, will everyone finally get the answers they've been looking for?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Riverdale and its characters remain the property of the CW studios and Archie Comics. 
> 
> I live in South Africa, not USA so please forgive me if any descriptions or terms are wrong here. Please feel free to correct any incorrect terminology. Not spelling please, as I use English UK :) but you can let me know of any typos.
> 
> Please don't forget to kudo and comment! Moreover, please enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is my first Bughead fanfic and I'll just say now that I'm a huge fan of both the main ships, #Bughead and #Varchie. I know this idea has probably been overused and over exhausted by the fanfic community and I have been inspired by some fanfics I've read recently to write this fic. Unfortunately, I cannot remember which fics did inspire me, since I've read so many in the past few weeks. So, to all Bughead fanfic writers at large: I'm really sorry if this seems to copy your fanfic and if it does, please believe me when I say it wasn't intentional. 
> 
> This fic is not really canon compliant, but you will see how the events fall into place. I take Seasons 1 -3 into consideration, the main points and such, but forgive me if I forget any minor details. I have twisted the story line to suit myself though, so please, bear with me. :)
> 
> Enjoy the first chapter!

> "A teddy bear knows all your secrets - and keeps them."

* * *

"Crap!"

"Elizabeth Cooper! What have I told you about foul language, young lady? Go to your room!"

"Can you shut the hell up, Kevin?" The sound of another dress being chucked at a wardrobe ran through the small apartment, with several sighs and curses from the matchbox bedroom at the end of the almost-not-a-hallway. "I spent eighteen years with my mother and now you choose to remind me of her, when I've finally gotten rid of hearing her annoying voice inside my head?"

Kevin Keller appeared in the doorway of Betty Cooper's bedroom, smiling mockingly at the flustered blonde standing in a sea of dresses, skirts and blouses scattered all over her bedroom. "To be fair, you didn't see her for the last five years. I thought you'd appreciate the reminder."

"Not now, Kevin," muttered Betty under her breath, flinging a random white blouse to the other end of the room, trying to search in vain for something to wear. With Veronica Lodge's wedding just two days away, she'd demanded that Betty, as her Maid of Honour, put in an appearance prior to the day so that her dress and last minute arrangements could be sorted out, as well as her dance with the Best Man, whom Betty had yet to even meet, let alone know his name.

Kevin's smirk disappeared as he navigated his way towards Betty, plucking a white, pearl embellished pencil dress from the floor and handing it to her. "There, won't that be sufficient for Veronica?"

Betty sighed, and shook her head, dropping the dress back into the never-ending pile around her. As much as men tried to help women with clothing, they never seemed to be any help. "Kevin, that dress is long. I don't want to trip over my own feet as I walk."

"Then I don't understand, Betty. What the hell are you looking for to wear? It's only a small party, right? What does Veronica expect you to show up in, a clown outfit?" He searched around the room before producing a black cocktail dress that consisted of mesh sleeves and a twine belt around the waist. "There, won't Ronnie be happy with this? It's simple, elegant, and you won't be tripping over your own feet - although you do that half the time, so I would be concerned for your dance partner at the wedding..."

"Kev!" Betty gently smacked him on his arm as she took the dress from him. Although it was a few years old, it had served her well at the few parties she'd attended and interviews for jobs. Veronica said to be _elegant_ , after all...

"Thanks!" she called to him as she vanished into the bathroom, blowing a kiss to him. she changed quickly into the dress and applied a little makeup, knowing that she needed to look _good_ after not seeing her best friend for five years, even though they'd had a hearty farewell for her, not to mention the absence of one notable person from her goodbye party......

Betty shook her head quickly, reminding herself not to go there. The past was the past, and when she'd left Riverdale, she'd promised herself she would leave it all behind her and make her future the brightest. After all, five years in New York and she'd already obtained her degree in Journalism, with intentions of coming back for her honours the following year. Her decision to leave had seemed much better once she'd enrolled in NYU and found this apartment with reasonable rent, taking into consideration its size.

Her district was small and quaint, with more residential areas than she could count, but the quiet atmosphere allowed for her to continue writing articles uninterrupted, which suited her perfectly. Even though her apartment was tiny, barely managing to contain a kitchenette, bedroom, closet, bathroom (no bathtub) and space for a sofa and TV, she'd survived. She was comfortable (even if she sometimes felt claustrophobic and felt like the walls were closing in on her) and happy.

Money flowed in steadily, with her part-time job at the mechanics shop opposite her building bringing in an good sum (tinkering cars with her long-dead father in her youth had certainly helped) and doing a few shifts at the local bar whenever she could added in any extra she may have needed. Her real passion was journalism, so her actual job of writing articles for an online newspaper and various other magazines they owned allowed her to hone her craft and practise whenever she needed to.

All in all, while it was not the glamourous life of Veronica Lodge, neither the life of someone who lived in squalor, she was happy, content and safe - right now, that was all that mattered to her.

"Betty! We need to leave in two hours, and you still have to get Ronnie a present!"

Betty scowled in the mirror at Kevin's interruption of her thoughts and yelled back that she'd be out in a minute. She swept her newly curled hair into a messy ponytail and ventured out of the bathroom in a second, to find the floor clean of clothing, while Kevin was in her closet, hanging up whatever was in his hands.

"Aw, Kev, you didn't have to clean after me," Betty called to him as she slipped on ballet flats. Kevin didn't say anything in reply besides rearranging some of the clothes he'd hung up and came out of the closet bearing a pair of dark stilettoes, which made Betty groan.

"No Betty, you will wear these. Veronica texted me while you were in the bathroom and insisted," Kevin scolded, brandishing the heels in her face. "You know," he continued, glancing at her outfit, "I'm sure she wouldn't have minded seeing you in your oil-stained overalls and heavy work boots......"

"Looking like a goddamned grease monkey?" Betty sighed once more before changing into the heels, cursing Veronica silently as she wobbled over to Kevin, clutching at his arm for support. "Actually, I'd pay to see Veronica's face if I turn up like that. I'm sure she'd have a heart attack."

She smiled as Kevin laughed, moving quickly around her bedroom and gathering her belongings - laptop, suitcases, bags, her dress for the wedding in a suit cover, a few wedding presents, her cell phone and toiletry case - before joining Kevin in her lounge (it wasn't a lounge by a far stretch) where he gasped at the bags she dragged behind her.

"Betty, how long are you actually planning to stay in Riverdale?"

She played with one of the loose curls in her ponytail, avoiding Kevin's gaze. "Maybe around a month? Or a few months? I'm not really sure......"

Kevin's jaw dropped. "Why are you staying so long, Betty? I thought you'd be leaving a day after the wedding with me."

She shook her head. "Sorry I didn't tell you Kevin, but my mom called last night..." Betty shut her eyes tightly. "...with the intention of making amends for what happened the night before I left......she said she wanted to apologise. Then Ronnie called me and said that she needed someone to look after the Pembrooke while she and Archie were on honeymoon, and that she'd really missed me these past few years and that we needed to spend more time together. I realised there were a lot of loose ends I'd left behind, so now I need to go back and fix whatever damage I'd done."

Kevin nodded to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. He didn't know the exact details of the fight that had panned out between Betty and her mother the day before she'd left, but he knew that if anything had Alice Cooper in it, it was enough to cause damage to someone if she wanted to. And Betty had suffered enough these past years. She needed a rest.

"And what about your jobs?" he asked, knowing how important journalism was to Betty.

"It's all sorted. My boss at the mechanics practically shoved me out of the door when I asked for leave because 'I work there too often', or so she claims. The bar really doesn't need me, so I didn't call them. And I can write articles from anywhere, so long as I have my laptop." Betty hugged Kevin tightly. "I'm sorry Kev, it's just that I've spent so long here that I didn't realise I needed a break or holiday; I haven't taken one since I got here. Maybe staying in Riverdale at Ronnie's for a month or two is what I need."

Kevin pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You've worked too hard you whole life, Betty, and it was always for others. You deserve this break."

Betty broke away from the hug and nodded to Kevin. "Thank you, Kevin, for being such a good friend. I wouldn't have made it in New York without you."

Smiling, he took a suitcase from her and pulled it along with him. "Have you spoken with your landlord, Betty?"

"Mr Turner just took a sort of 'reservation fee' from me when I told him I'd be gone for a while. He refused to take the next few month's rent even though that's the policy for all other tenants..."

"You have everyone wrapped around your little finger, Betty, even your cranky old landlord. What a women you are, Betty Cooper, what a woman."

Betty blushed before ushering him out of the apartment and locking it behind her, following Kevin down to his car parked on the busy street below - where they'd stop off at a small boutique to buy white roses and a stunning marble vase to put them in for Veronica, before making their way to Riverdale.

* * *

"Betty!" Veronica's excited shriek reached her at the bottom of the elevator in the Pembrooke as she pulled along her bags, Kevin in tow. The Latina barely gave her a minute to set her bags down as she engulfed her in a tight hug. "I'm so happy you could make it, girl! We're going to have so much fun......"

Veronica pulled back to examine her friend, noting the new hair and slimmer, tougher figure. "You're looking good, B."

But Betty's attention was drawn to Veronica's stomach, where a small bump lay. "V, are you......?"

"Pregnant?" Veronica supplied with a small smile. "Yes! I just found out about a month ago and I'm going three months strong. Archie was so happy."

Betty hugged her friend once more, trying to ignore the nausea building up in her stomach and the sudden dizziness she felt. _Don't go there Betty, don't go there._

She forced a smile onto her face as she turned back to face her long-time friend. _Be happy for Veronica, it's her baby, she deserves this happiness in her life._

Betty prayed her smile was sincere and not strained as she told Veronica, "I'm so happy for you, V. I really am."

"Thank you Betty. Come, let me help you with your bags." She ignored Betty's protests that she was pregnant and shouldn't strain herself. "Honestly," she grumbled, "if only my useless fiancé would show his head, I'd have some help carting Betty's bags upstairs!" She yelled the last part.

"Ronnie, I'm not useless." The notable redhead appeared at Veronica's elbow, a grin on his face as he appraised Betty and hugged her with just as much enthusiasm as Veronica had.

"Arch! It's been ages since I've seen you!" Betty cried as she wrapped herself around Archie. "How have you been?"

"I'm good Betty, and you? It looks like New York has been treating you well."

Betty nodded her head as she pulled away from Archie, grabbing a duffel bag from Veronica, ignoring the glares the raven-headed girl gave her as she walked towards the lift. "What can I say? New York is New York. The city is different from a small town, and I think the time away did me good." _Yes, leaving my demons behind in Riverdale and running away was the best thing for me to do._ Betty tried not to wince as her mind filled in the unsaid words.

After Kevin greeted the couple, he and Betty made themselves at home in the two spare rooms they'd been given to use while staying there. Veronica immediately dragged Betty for a tour around the penthouse, showing her all the additions she'd made.

"What with Mom moving up to stay in London and get away from all the mess, and Dad in prison, she told me to take over the Pembrooke and use it as a home," Veronica explained as she led Betty to the master bedroom.

"Archie and I are in here," she said with a flourish at the gold and black room that was very Lodge-like, consisting of a huge king bed and nightstands, a couch and desk and chair at one end. A tall bookshelf served as a place for the few trashy romance novels Veronica occasionally indulged in, and an entire wall was dedicated to housing the couple's walk-in closet. All in all, the penthouse seemed homier and warmer than when Hiram and Hermione had originally lived in it.

Betty followed Veronica to the spare room Kevin was currently occupying, showing her the medium-sized boxes stacked in a dusty corner of the room.

"That," she began, pointing to the mountain of cardboard, "is all my old baby furniture. Archie and I immediately went online and researched furniture stores. _Buttons and Bows_ is some small boutique that does custom made furniture, so I'm ordering from them, and this pile," she again indicated the piles of boxes, "is going to charity."

"So, this is to be the nursery then?" asked Betty, eyeing Kevin's small suitcase next to the nightstand and the wallpaper, which had changed from the stronger silvers and blacks of the penthouse's colour scheme, to a lighter, softer lilac with small lace flowers.

Veronica nodded. "I know it's untidy but it's still in the works." A smile flashed on her face. "Archie and I are so excited for this baby. He's been lonely for a long time, missing his Dad and Mom, even though she meets up with us twice or thrice a year." She placed her hands on her protruding abdomen, her eyes misty and reflecting her contentment and happiness. (She failed to notice Betty surreptitiously wiping away a lone tear that trailed down her cheek.)

Betty patted Veronica's back and reiterated what she'd said earlier. "I'm happy for you V. This child will be so lucky to grow up and have you and Archie as parents."

Veronica led them out of Kevin's room and made her way towards the kitchen, where a tray containing a steaming pot of tea and cups, as well as a generous serving of carrot cake, lay.

"So, B, tell me all about your New York years. You're no longer a town girl, you're a city girl."

Betty laughed lightly, and her attention drew to the neglected white roses and complementary gift-wrapped vase on the table. "Oh, V, I almost forgot! These are for you," she said, waving a hand towards the gift. "White roses, especially for the bride. And to say thank you for having Kevin and I."

"Thanks, Betty. You shouldn't have bothered, really. I don't need a gift to say thank you for hosting you. It's part of being my BFF." Veronica turned her head towards the tea tray. "Now, what do you say we indulge in this heavenly cake that simply begging to be eaten?"

It was all the convincing Betty needed before she settled in an armchair opposite Veronica, sipping away at tea, as they caught up on all the things she'd missed while she'd been away.

(She didn't question the noticeable failure of Veronica to mention a certain beanie-wearing boy. She was secretly grateful.)

* * *

"So, you're hosting your Bachelorette party at the speak easy?" Betty cross-questioned Veronica as they ate dinner, a tasty salmon fillet with a side of tomatoes prepared by the chef she'd hired after Hermione had left for London. Kevin was away at a party one of his old high school friends he'd known, but Betty had forgotten about.

It was almost as if she was relearning the town she'd grown up in - as if she were a stranger in her childhood home.

Veronica frowned as Archie tugged her champagne flute away from her, a knowing glint in his eyes. She flipped him off as she swallowed a forkful of salad. "I thought I'd make it sort of a memory thing, you know? We haven't seen some of our high school friends in ages, so I've invited Josie, Toni, Ethel, Cheryl - the whole gang will finally be back together!"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't organise it, V." Betty was regretful that she hadn't been close to her best friend for the better part of five years, yet Veronica acted as if nothing had changed. She appreciated Veronica's efforts, and even though she'd kept in contact with her and Archie while she'd been away, it didn't excuse her poor performance as Veronica's best friend.

"It's alright, Betty. It's hard studying and maintaining a degree, trust me, I know." Veronica began attacking the crispy baguette left out by the chef. "You were really passionate about journalism. It was only expected that you went down that route."

 _You didn't mention the fact that I left you all behind._ Betty ignored her conscience as she changed the subject.

"How's Cheryl, by the way? You didn't mention what she was up to."

(She pretended not to notice the concerned look passed between Veronica and Archie.)

Veronica waved her fork in the air. "She's currently housing Toni in Thistlehouse and taking care of Nana Rose. Her mother is......well, I don't know where her mother has been of lately."

Betty had to mentally stop herself from moaning as she ate another bite of the salmon. She was seriously considering stealing Veronica's chef and taking her back to New York with her. "And Toni? Their gang is still up and running, right? The Pretty Poisons?"

Veronica smirked. "Yes, it very much is. So much so......"

"That my delightful wife-to-be decided to join not one month before we discovered her pregnancy," Archie interjected, smiling as Veronica pushed up her sleeve to show Betty a small, pink rose tattooed on her upper left arm.

"What about the Serpents? And FP?" _And Jughead?_ Betty was sure both of them had understood the unasked question in her words.

(She also pretended not to notice the awkward looks Archie and Veronica gave each other before turning stiffly back to her.)

"The Serpents still help with law-enforcement, assisting FP when they can, and I've managed to get them proper homes built on the trailer park land. Not exactly palatial, but it's home to them."

"That's wonderful, V. And..."

"As for FP," continued Veronica, stabbing at her salmon now, "he's still in Elm Street with Jellybean. Rumour has it Gladys found a guy and married him somewhere in Toledo. She visits from time to time, but......he's heartbroken. You can see it." Her eyes did not meet Betty's gaze.

Betty nodded solemnly, trying to ignore the subtle reminder in Veronica's words: she'd broken Jughead's heart the day she'd left him and went to the city. That clearly meant, in Veronica's book, that she held no right to ask about him and his affairs.

There was no further mention of the Jones's or the Serpents for the rest of the evening, even when they discussed the drug problem still running through the town. It seemed Jingle-jangle had reared its ugly head again, while the Fizzle Rocks trade, started initially by Hiram Lodge, had somehow appeared slowly in the Southside.

"Who's the new dealer?" asked Betty as they dug into dessert, a fluffy Baked Alaska.

"No one knows for sure," Veronica said, her words somewhat mumbled as she said them around mouthfuls of dessert. "FP and the sheriff's office have been having a hard time trying to crack this mystery. But whoever they are, they're just reintroducing the same evil back into the town, which is even worse, considering how good Riverdale has been doing recently."

"Maybe it's something you can investigate while you're here, Betty?" suggested Archie. "After all, you were the Nancy Drew of the town back in your day."

"I'll think about it." Betty nodded. "I'm going to be here for two months anyway, so what am I going to do to pass the time?"

"Aren't you still writing articles for The New York Times?" Veronica asked, sipping at a glass of water. "Can't you write from here as well?"

"Or you could join The Register..." Archie's words struck some sort of chord in Betty, nearly causing her to topple over in her chair as she hurriedly got up.

"What's wrong, B?" Veronica's worried voice reached Betty as she ran to the apartment door and snagged her coat off the coat stand by the door.

"I forgot, I'd promised my mother I'd see her today," Betty replied, pulling on her boots. She was about to step out the door when she realised - she had no idea where her mother was staying now. She turned back to Veronica, embarrassed. "Do you know where she's staying now? Is she still at the Five Seasons?"

"No, Betty." Veronica shook her head. "She's with FP."

"At our old house?" The shock failed to register with Betty. "But I thought she didn't want to stay there anymore..."

"Jellybean is there as well," supplied Archie, who got a sharp elbow in the ribs from Veronica at saying this. "That hurt, Ronnie..." he whined, before following her gaze to Betty's sad face. "Oh."

Veronica stood up and went over to Betty, seating her down on the couch. "Are you okay, Betty?"

"No, V." Betty's gaze was drawn towards a small loose thread on the carpet below her, shaking her head slowly. "I just...I didn't realise I'd left so much behind when I'd left for New York, that I'd left so many people high and dry......"

"You needed a new start, B," said Veronica in a soothing tone, wrapping her arms around Betty. "Your Dad had died, your Mom was missing and had been found, everything around you was falling apart...you did what you needed to do. You saw that you needed a new beginning, a new start, and you took that opportunity."

"All I did was what a coward would have done: run away. I didn't stop for one second to think about how my departure would affect people. I didn't think about you, or Archie, or my family......I was only in for myself. And that was selfish of me."

"You've done so much for others," Archie said, placing a hand on Betty's back. "You gave up so much, never thinking about yourself for one second. It was only natural that one day, you'd look after yourself before anyone else."

"New York has done you good, Betty." Veronica smiled comfortingly as Betty pulled away from her and wiped her eyes with her hand. "You had a new start there and see where it got you. You've grown into a wonderful woman, who's cultivated her skills and personality. You've become better at what you do. So, take this as another chance to start over in Riverdale. See it as a silver lining, not as a red herring."

"What about my history here?" Betty sniffled noisily. "I can't just go and run into my mother's arms and pretend she didn't throw me out of the house before I left......" _And I can't just go to FP's house and pretend that I didn't break his son's heart._

"Forgive, but don't forget. That's my motto." A small grin from Archie. "You can't ignore the past, but don't let it stop you from going forward."

"Do you want me to drive you to FP's?" asked Veronica tentatively, watching as Betty graciously accepted a tissue from Archie and wiped her face.

"Better now than never, right?" Betty answered in a shaky voice, standing up.

Veronica nodded and went to change from her t-shirt and pants into a warmer dress and boots. As they were about to leave and say goodbye, Archie's phone rang. He smiled apologetically to the girls, before answering.

"Hey, it's Archie." His face lit up in a smile at the caller's voice. "Oh my god! Dude, is that really you? You can make it? Are you sure?" Muttered words from the other end made Archie's smile even wider. "That's great! Well...yes, yes. Of course! No worries at all. Keep in touch." He ended the call with a smirk on his face.

"Who was that, Archiekins?" asked Veronica, a suspicious look on her face.

"Just another addition to the guest list, Ronnie. I'll tell you later." Betty and Veronica exchanged puzzled looks over the triumphant expression on Archie's face, but dismissed it to the fact that maybe the new guest was some relative he'd been trying to invite for months.

"I'll see you later, Arch," Veronica said, kissing him on his cheek. "We should be back by, say, 10 latest? I can't seem to stay up late nowadays."

Archie waved goodbye, sighing in relief as the door shut behind his fiancé. He glanced at his phone before sending a text message to Veronica.

**_Jughead is coming to the wedding. As my Best Man._ **

He couldn't help but laugh at her response.

_Shit._

_That'll be perfect for B._

**_Somehow, Ronnie - I have a feeling all will be well._ **

Little did he know how soon things would change - for the worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting twice on the first day! Send me a message to get in touch. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Edit (09/07/19): The new chapter should be up by the 13th or 14th. :)

Betty gave Veronica an anxious look as she walked towards the red door of her childhood home. "Here goes nothing," she muttered quietly under her breath, and rapped sharply on the door three times.

The door was opened by an unsuspecting Charles Cooper, whose head was facing away from Betty and Veronica, towards the lounge, where he was laughing at a joke made by someone. His mouth dropped open in shock as he turned his head to the visitors standing at the door. "Betty?"

"Charles?" she said in shock, her eyes gazing into the warm face of her brother, his copper hair shining under the lantern atop the door. "I thought you were in Chicago, on a case?"

"Yeah, well..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "The ended about a month ago, and I've moved back to Riverdale for the time being, on vacation. I'm just here for dinner."

Despite leaving Riverdale with all her ties to her hometown cut, one thread that she'd never failed to keep was Charles. After having worked so hard to find her brother, then think he was dead, and finally finding him unexpectedly, she'd known she'd put too much effort into looking for him to let their sibling bond disappear with her leave. They'd kept in touch over the years, meeting up for coffee or lunch whenever he was in New York, however, he'd never mentioned their mother or Riverdale, knowing how much she'd wanted to keep the past away from her present.

The last she'd heard from him was about three months ago, when he'd had an important case involving drugs in Chicago. With strict instructions from his supervisor, he couldn't communicate with anyone during his operation, and had regretfully told Betty so, before giving her a quick goodbye over the phone.

Their bond had remained just as strong as ever as Betty hugged him fiercely, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I've missed you."

"I missed you as well, Betty," he replied, patting her back as she let him go.

His gaze focused on Veronica, who'd been watching the entire spectacle mesmerised, and gave him a quick smile. "Lovely to see you too, Charlie."

He ushered them inside the house, and shut the door swiftly behind them, before leading them to the dining room and adjoined kitchen, where FP, Alice and Jellybean sat around a table, enjoying what seemed to be a late dinner.

"Mom, Dad," Charles said, waving a hand towards his guests, not leaving Betty a moment to consider the fact that he'd taken to calling FP and Alice 'Dad' and 'Mom', "Veronica and Betty are here."

"Betty." FP greeted her with a warm smile, which she returned. Meanwhile her mother's face was contorting into a surprised expression, as if she'd never expected her daughter to take her up on her invitation.

"Mom?" Betty asked questioningly. She couldn't be more shocked as Alice rapidly got off her chair and gave her a hug in reply, as if she was overjoyed to see her.

"I'm really happy you're here, Elizabeth," Alice whispered in her ear, planting a kiss to her cheek as she withdrew to the table.

"And you too, Veronica," she remarked as she examined Veronica, and noted her small bump. "New addition to the Andrews family, I take it?" She didn't react in the original Alice Cooper fashion, by tutting disapprovingly at the thought of even having a baby out of wedlock, rather, she gave Veronica a simple 'Congratulations' and well wishes for her upcoming nuptials.

"Thanks, Mrs Cooper..." began Veronica, only to be cut off by FP.

"It's Alice Smith now," he cut in, before giving Alice a kiss on her cheek - which made Betty realise something swiftly.

"You're...... _together_?" she asked gesturing between them.

"We've been for a while, yes," confirmed Alice, firmly interlocking her fingers with FP's.

 _Wow_ was the only reaction that could register in her head. _So, my ex-boyfriend's father and my estranged mother are hooking up. That's certainly not weird, given their history._

"How's college, Betty?" asked FP, in an effort to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled in the room as Betty contemplated the idea of her mother and him as a couple.

"Um..." started Betty, wondering away from her thoughts. "I finished my undergraduate degree in Journalism last year, and now I'm probably going for my honours next year, I think."

"Hey," interrupted Charles, "do you and Veronica want dinner, by any chance?"

Betty glanced at the remains of their dinner, encompassing a half-eaten salad, bowls of meatloaf and a pitcher of lemonade, before shaking her head. "No, thanks. I just ate at the Pembrooke with Ronnie before I came here."

"Join us for dessert, Betty, Veronica," suggested FP smilingly, wrapping an arm over her mother's shoulders. "Alice made a smashing apple crumble this morning."

Despite their protests, Betty found herself and Veronica seated in the lounge ten minutes later, a plate with a slice of apple crumble on her lap, a glass of water on the table next to her, and a sinking feeling in her stomach. Veronica was all smiles and pleasantries, and after the small talk ran out - Veronica's wedding plans and dress, her baby planning, inviting the Jones/Smith household to the wedding - they sat in stilted silence _again_ , the only noise that of FP's spoon scraping his plate as he devoured his pie.

"How's Jughead?" asked Betty, the question out of her mouth before she could help herself. With practically no mention of her ex-boyfriend from neither Archie nor Veronica and having had no contact with him since the day of their breakup, she'd had no idea where he was or what he was up to. She didn't miss the wary look FP gave Alice before replying to Betty's question and ignored Veronica's glare from where she sat next to Betty.

"Jug studied a few writing courses, then he went up to Columbia, and has been there ever since. He visits now and then." FP smiled awkwardly, in an attempt to diffuse the tension building up in the room at the mention of Jughead.

"He's doing okay...right?" she tried again, knowing Veronica would murder her for this back at the Pembrooke.

"He's perfect," answered Jellybean coldly, staring at Betty with eyes that promised death if Betty ever dared to mention her brother again. "He also has a girlfriend."

Betty felt her heart sink at this revelation, and although she knew first-hand that she'd relinquished the right to be involved in Jughead's life after separating herself from him, she still felt saddened at the image of her first (and only) love moving on from her.

"We didn't need to know that much detail, thank you JB," muttered Charles, and pushed her with him into the kitchen, where he quietly scolded her about being polite. Betty winced at Jellybean's reply of how she had no right to ask about him when she'd broken him down and left her to piece him back together. Their voices faded as he took her upstairs.

"Anyway," began Alice, stirring at her mug of tea, "I did call you here for a reason, Elizabeth."

"Mom..." said Betty, trying to stop her mother before she started with what she knew was an apology. "It's alright..."

"No, it's never been alright." Her mother choked out the words, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes. "It never was right for me to drive away my child so much that they felt the need to keep away from me and their home for five years. It wasn't right of me to cut you down and shame you for wanting to start over in a new place. It wasn't right of me to drive you away like I did to Polly..."

Betty felt an invisible hand at her throat at the mention of her older sister. After they'd she'd been released from the farm along with Alice, she'd accused both of them of ruining her life and turning her away from what could have been her chance to start over with a new family. She'd moved far away, taking both Juniper and Dagwood from her. Now all they knew about her was through Facebook, where she posted updates once every few months. Last Betty has heard, was that she'd eventually found someone who was willing to take care of her and the kids and she'd moved in with him.

Whilst her mother was right that yes, she had driven away the middle Cooper sibling through her discouragement of Polly's pregnancy, Polly had been far too integrated into the farm and its ideologies to open her eyes to the real world. It wasn't entirely Alice's fault. She'd loved her grandchildren and had fought tooth and nail for all her children and didn't deserve to be permanently excluded from Polly's life like that.

"Mom you didn't......" Betty swallowed heavily and pushed back against the tears that threatened to appear. "You never drove me away. I needed a new start, and the reason I ran away that night was because you were right. I was being selfish, I was being a coward by leaving my past here and moving away, pretending it never existed. I left everyone behind. I was unfair."

"You were well within your rights to do whatever you wanted and do what you needed." Alice wiped her eyes, sinking into FP as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You needed it, to move away, to be a new person. I'm sorry I ridiculed your choices and made you feel like you were unwanted to me. I'm sorry for everything I've done and said to you that hurt you. You are my daughter, and......I should have done better."

Betty got up slowly and knelt by her mother on the couch she was seated at, letting her mother sob into her shoulder. "You only acted in concern for your child, Mom. I should have seen that. Instead, I left you. And you've been a better mother to me than anyone else possibly could. Thank you."

She let her mother mutter soft apologies, knowing that was one of the few rare occasions when she'd show her weakness and fully breakdown. Although both Veronica and FP were present in the room with them, it was as if it were only mother and daughter, locked in their small bubble of forgiveness and comfort.

Alice's sobs finally subsided, before she muttered one last apology to Betty, and turned to face FP, who gave her a nod of approval. Betty suspected that he, in some way, had to have influenced Alice's decision to apologise to her, but she pushed away the thought. All that mattered now, was that they were reunited. As a family, fragmented as they are.

Veronica quietly got up and helped Betty in washing up plates and mugs, as Alice and FP conferred softly in the lounge. Placing the last dish on the rack, Betty checked her phone to see that it was past 11pm.

"We have to go home, Ronnie," she said, nudging a sleepy Veronica, who nodded sleepily and went to fetch her purse and phone from the table. Betty quickly texted Archie to say they'd be home soon, before following after Veronica. She found Alice and FP asleep in the lounge, curled up around each other - so she threw a fluffy comforter off the couch arm over them, and went to the door to pull on her coat.

"Betty? Are you leaving already?" Charles's voice swept through the hallway from halfway across the stairs, as he yawned and looked at Betty donning her coat. "What time is it?"

"11:15. I think," she mused, glancing at the antique clock above the front door. "We're leaving now, Charles. Mom and FP are sleeping in the lounge. After what happened, I think we all need some rest."

"What did happen?" He walked slowly down the stairs.

"Mom apologised." Betty bit her lip. "And I accepted."

Charles smiled widely at her. "At least you're reconciled now."

"It's a small step in a long journey we've needed to go on for a long time now. Hopefully we'll have a better relationship."

"Hey, I'm sorry for what JB said earlier. She didn't mean it," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Betty shook her head.

"I deserved that," she admitted, "for what I did to him. He didn't deserve it, though."

"Then why did you do that to him?" asked Charles curiously.

"It was time to move on," whispered Betty, more to herself than Charles, her eyes darting to the carpet before moving back to Charles. She kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie." She said goodbye, making use of the new nickname Veronica had graced him with.

"Bye Betty," he replied, waving a hand as she opened the door and walked to Veronica's awaiting Range Rover. "Come for lunch tomorrow!" He shut the door behind them, as soon as Betty shouted back to say she'd text and let him know.

Charles walked to the fridge, where a small picture of FP, Jughead, Betty and Alice were attached to its front with a heart magnet. He examined the picture, noting the way his sister and brother looked star struck for each other.

"Whatever you say Betty," he said softly, running his fingers over the picture. "But it's clear to me that you've never and will never move on."

* * *

"What about this one, miss?"

Veronica shook her head delicately. "I'll pass, thanks."

The flustered designer wiped his forehead with the back of his head and indicated to his assistant to bring out the next dress on the rack, a grey halter neck that looked stunning, in Betty's opinion. To Veronica: not so much.

"That looks like utter trash," Veronica stated, barely glancing at the item. "I have the same gown in my closet, simply in red. Next, please."

Betty gave a sympathetic look to the designer, who huffed and brought out another rack of clothes. Veronica and Betty were currently seated on a couch on the ground floor of the Pembrooke, choosing a dress from a local but well-known designer for her Bachelorette party taking place later that evening. While Betty was satisfied with any and every dress the designer showed to Veronica, Miss Lodge seemed intent on only having the classiest dress to wear. Why the dress hadn't been organised months ago like the rest of the festivities, Betty didn't know.

"What are you exactly looking for, V?" muttered Betty to Veronica under her breath, once the designer was out of earshot.

"Something classy and smart. Fashionable." Veronica sighed. "But every piece he has is for a formal occasion. I'm looking for something.... relaxed."

"Why not go with the turquoise maxi dress he showed you the first time? It had everything you're looking for."

"It looked too Mommy-like for my taste." She ignored Betty's raised eyebrows. "And yes, in six months I will be a mother, but it doesn't mean that I have to look like one _now._ "

The designer came in with a last rack that bore three dresses. "These are my last three options, ladies," the designer said curtly. "If they do not meet your expectations, Miss Lodge, then I'm afraid I might not be a suitable designer to cater for your preferences."

Veronica just sighed her agreement and nodded to the man. No sooner had he unveiled the first dress than Veronica said, "I'll take it!", to Betty's surprise and the designer's delight.

Betty evaluated the dress with a critical eye. Although she was no fashion designer, she knew this dress would match Veronica's tastes to the tee. It was a knee-length sleeveless navy-blue chiffon dress. With its mesh back embedded with tiny Swarovski crystals and a sweetheart neckline leading to a fitted bodice and flowing skirt, the dress was elegant and casual enough that it was perfect for the party.

"What about you, B?" asked Veronica, watching as the designer instructed his helper to wrap the dress carefully and leave it on a hook in the corner of the spacious room. "Do you need a dress?"

"I already have an outfit," admitted Betty. "A simple black dress that I picked up months ago from a small boutique. I was happy enough."

Despite her answer that she had more than enough outfits for her stay ahead, Veronica insisted on getting her a gold and silver sequinned dress from the designer, who was more than happy to adjust it to Betty's small figure. With a promise that the dresses would be ready by the afternoon, the designer left with a smile on his face - in a better mood than any of the other designers to frequent the Pembrooke had left in.

"Well, what do you want to do for the rest of the day, B?" Veronica got off the couch and stretched, her t-shirt moving up a few inches from her skirt to expose the small bump that was steadily growing. "I have a hair and makeup appointment for you and me tonight before the party, but other than that, we're free the whole day."

"Are you sure there's no surprise dance classes, like yesterday?" Betty joked although the feel of steeping on Archie’s toes with her stilettoes still made her wince for his sake.

With a single day to go before the wedding it seemed the entire town was invited to, Veronica had spent the previous day with Betty and Archie making last-minute confirmations for everything, from her dress to her shoes, to the guest list and flower arrangements and to anything else she could think of, so much so, that she'd nearly missed her obstetrician appointment with Archie.

After Betty had a quiet lunch with her mother and Charles at Pop's - she couldn't believe she'd forgotten to say hello to the man himself and eat one of his legendary burgers and milkshakes - Veronica had subjected her to a very amusing and hilarious dance class with Archie and a small, stout French teacher who'd apparently dabbled in ballet for twenty years - something Betty had found very hard to believe.

Despite nearly breaking Archie's toes with her heels and tripping over so many times on her own feet she'd caused a bruise on her forehead, she'd eventually perfected her waltz - her childhood ballet classes weren't wasted, it seemed - and put a smile on the old man's face.

" _Tres magnifique_!" He'd remarked before leaving.

Betty had questioned Veronica as to when the elusive Best Man would arrive. Veronica avoided the question, remarking that his schedule was full, and they'd only meet him the morning of the wedding. It didn't arouse Betty's suspicions enough, so she'd left the matter aside, just hoping that he was a better dancer than she was.

Veronica's parents were another story all together. Her father was still in prison, so there was no hope of him ever attending, whilst Hermione was due to fly down from London and meet them at the Pembrooke before the party tonight.

All in all, it seemed like everything was shaping up perfectly for Veronica and Archie's wedding.

"Are you happy everything is in place, V?" Betty asked Veronica, after they'd sat in silence for some time, contemplating what to do next.

"You know," Veronica began, settling back into a normal seating position so she was facing Betty, "I sometimes feel like all this is not real. Like I'll wake up from a really good dream or something. I just can't believe Archie and I have made it this far."

"You're soulmates. Of course, you'd spend the rest of your lives together."

"But it's so......surreal. You catch my drift?"

Betty nodded, knowing what Veronica meant. The fact that she already had a degree never failed to astound her, besides the fact that her best friends were getting married. Maybe fate had been kind to her, but it all felt like things were falling into place perfectly. Too neatly, according to Betty.

"I have this feeling like something bad is going to happen, somehow. What do you think, B?"

Betty shivered. "You're getting married V, I'm sure it's just cold feet." She chuckled when Veronica rolled her eyes. As if she'd ever back away from marrying Archie. "Concentrate on the good, and let those bad feelings go away."

Just then, the lift doors opened, with Archie barrelling out of the lift, shouting Veronica's name like his name depended on it. "Ronnie!"

"What's up, my fiancé?" Veronica asked coyly, smiling at Archie.

"He's coming tonight! Not tomorrow, but tonight!" Archie seemed to be in a panic, his thoughts spiralling. "Where are we going to put him?"

"I'm sure he has someplace to stay, doesn't he?" Veronica touched her index finger to her lips when Archie shook his head. "Well...can't we put him in your old house, Archie? There's no one staying there now, right?"

Archie hit his head in frustration. "I knew I forgot something. Thanks for reminding me, Ronnie."

"Who's this again?" Betty asked, looking between her best friends. Archie mumbled something about having to iron his suit leaving Betty to look expectantly at Veronica, who sighed heavily.

"It's just one of Archie's old friends from El Royale. He couldn't initially make it to the wedding, but it seemed he can now."

"Oh!" Betty realised that she'd forgotten to ask after Archie's boxing gym, now run as a small community centre for kids and adults to learn boxing. "How's the gym doing, by the way?"

"Good. We run a few fights now and then, no betting allowed, but it's mostly a haven for those who love boxing. We've already had one boy take it up with him into the Navy and another get a college scholarship through it, so it's empowerment of Riverdale has gone far and wide," Veronica reminisced over El Royale's achievements.

"That's pretty impressive," remarked Betty, amazed. She'd never realised just how far Archie's passion for boxing would take him.

"Anyway," Veronica said, standing up and making her way to the door, "I was thinking we should go out and grab some lunch at Pop's. What do you say?"

Betty glanced down at her relaxed dress of an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt that read _Today is everything._ "Uh, V, just let me hit my wardrobe for a quick change, and I'll be down in a few." She sprinted off to the lift.

Veronica searched for her car keys on Andre's old desk by the door, left the building and played with them as she waited for Betty outside.

She didn't notice the man dressed in all black standing in the shadows of the Pembrooke, wielding a camera, silently taking pictures of her.

* * *

"What do you think, V?" Betty turned to Veronica after checking herself in the floor length mirror in Veronica and Archie's bedroom, while he and Kevin prepared for the Bachelor party in her room. His Bachelor party had been organised by Reggie Mantle a while back.

Veronica looked over Betty clad in an off-the-shoulder, casual tie-front dress, its dark colour matching perfectly with the black strappy heels she'd brought to wear with it. She'd highlighted her bare neck with a black choker containing a single pearl, whilst she'd asked a seamstress in New York to scatter pearls over the dress as she felt like. Overall, the effect was stunning.

"You look gorgeous, B!" squealed Veronica, nodding her approval as she lightly dusted blush on her face. "Even though it'll be all girls tonight, I swear even Cheryl would do you."

"She'd rather do you, V." Betty glanced at how well her friend filled out the dress she'd received from the designer earlier. "That dress suits you perfectly." Veronica had picked up her outfit with metallic gold heels and earrings, an engagement gift from her mother.

"I hope they'll be no strippers tonight," said Veronica, coating her lips with a scarlet shade of lipstick.

Betty turned to look at her. "I thought you organised everything, V?"

Veronica shrugged. "When Cheryl heard I was organising my own Bachelorette party, she decided to take things into her own hands. I only know it's going to be at the speak easy. Other than that, I have no clue of what to expect."

Betty sighed. "Cheryl Blossom could have planned for anything from drugs to strippers. I suppose we'll have to see what we'll get."

Veronica and her emerged from the bedroom a while later, only to find that Kevin and Archie had already departed for the Bachelor party.

"I told that idiot to wait for me," Veronica grumbled, Betty silently laughing with her hand over her mouth. She walked to the fridge and grabbed a slice of cheesecake from dinner and carried it with her into her study - formerly Hiram Lodge's. "Go wait downstairs for me, B," she called back to Betty. "I need to indulge in this cake with my sorrows."

Betty giggled and took the lift downstairs to wait in the main lounge, holding a clutch that contained nothing but her purse and a spare $100 bill. She settled on one of the lounge suites and pulled out her phone, scrolling aimlessly through Instagram for a few minutes, when she got a text from Archie.

**Betty! Cheryl just called and said to hurry up. They're nearly ready!**

_We'll be there in a few, Arch. She can wait!_

_How's your party going?_

**We've done nothing yet. Still waiting for the beers.**

_Be careful. V will get jealous because you can drink, and she can't._

**In that case I'll drink for two _._**

😂

_Enjoy your last night of being single, Arch. Ttyl._

Betty slipped her phone back into her clutch when the doorbell rang. Assuming it to be Cheryl coming to admonish them for being late, she opened the door, not bothering to see who was on the other side first.

"Cheryl," she began as she opened the door, "no need to come storming over here in a huff and puff, V and I will be there soon......" She trailed off as she spotted the man standing at the door and recognised him immediately. _Speak of the devil._

"Jughead?" she asked, rooted to the spot in surprise.

There, standing in the doorway of the Pembrooke, clad in famous crown beanie and flannel, a pile of luggage behind him, was Jughead Jones.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again.

He frowned. "Same as you. For the wedding." He paused before dropping his big bombshell.

"I'm Archie's Best Man."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'll be following a strict update schedule of once a week/once every fortnight from now on. I'll tell you in advance on what date you can expect the new chapter. For this chapter, please forgive any tardiness, weirdness or if the characters were OOC. Again, I have used my best understanding of a Western Wedding. (P.S I am not Christian). 
> 
> I am personally not happy with this chapter, but anyway......
> 
> Enjoy the chapter, and please don't forget to kudo and comment! Thank you to those that have kudo'ed and commented already! 
> 
> Update: (25/08) To all those who've been waiting for a new chapter, I sincerely apologise. I've just been so caught up in schoolwork and other things that I've hardly had any time to continue with the fanfic. I'm not abandoning it though, rest assured that there will be a new chapter. Eventually. :/ Chapter 4 is already 1000 words in, and I don't want to post less than my usual quantity, so I'll work on the chapter and post it here as soon as I can. Feel free to PM me if you want a small snippet! ;)

"That was _not_ how I expected to spend the night before my wedding." Archie sighed from where he sat on the couch, his shirt off and flung to the opposite side of the bedroom.

"It has been a crazy night, Arch," Veronica agreed as she kicked off her high heels and pulled out the gold combs keeping her hair back, setting them on the desk. It was nearly midnight.

Archie glanced towards his fiancé. "You could say that again. Is Betty okay?"

Veronica frowned as she recalled the shaky blonde sitting in the lounge, her hands cupped around a mug of coffee, before Kevin had gently led her back to her room. She'd still appeared to be shaken up but was quickly recovering. "I think she's gotten over the shock of seeing Jughead. Why did you not give her the heads up?"

"How was I supposed to know she'd go into shock at seeing him, Ronnie? And you played the game along with me."

"I know, Arch, I know. But something's just not adding up here. Why would she be so fearful of seeing him again?" Veronica turned to face Archie, leaning against the desk. "I mean, I've had breakups myself and some might have not been amicable, but I didn't _faint_ when I saw them in public."

"I don't exactly want to hear about your ex's the night before I marry you, Ronnie," Archie joked.

"Arch, be serious please."

"I'm sorry, okay, that was in poor taste." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "You think she's hiding something? Something about them that we never knew about?"

"Why would she? They were the perfect couple." Veronica smiled, remembering the days when she and Archie used to joke with one another about 'Bughead'. "Unless he did something to her that she could never forget......"

"From what Jug told me after their breakup, Betty was the one who instigated it. Said they weren't compatible or something."

"They were everything but incompatible!" Betty and Jughead had been the most often talked about couple in their year, simply because of the way they naturally moulded in with each other. "She must have had solid grounds for wanting to split."

"Well......she was miserable the week of graduation, now that I come to think of it. When I asked her about it, she said she was already feeling homesick."

"I don't know, Arch, I really don't know. Either Alice or Jughead did something to her, or something bad happened before she left. Either way - we'll just have to leave it for now. I'm not going to pry about it. Even though she is my best friend, she still has the right to privacy," Veronica finished, closing the matter for the time being. Archie nodded his agreement, resuming his stare at the floor.

A quiet silence set over the bedroom, both Archie and Veronica pondering over what this fiasco would mean for them the next day. Both parties had ended once Archie had heard of Betty's predicament, so despite Cheryl's complaints, he'd left Reggie's house, closed La Bonnie Nuit early, and left in a rush to the Pembrooke, where Jughead was looking in surprise at a still Betty on the couch, being attended to by Veronica and her family physician. She'd somehow bumped her head and sustained a nasty bruise, but other than that, the doctor said she was fine, and continued treating her for shock.

A bigger problem had arisen when, around an hour after Betty's shock, a young man had shown up at the door and promptly gave Veronica a lap dance, with a giggling Cheryl and Toni hiding behind the door. Archie, pissed and angry as hell, had managed to chase them all away (but not after giving the man $300 in cash). Hermione arrived not soon after that, her flight having been delayed for two hours. Exhausted and frustrated, Veronica settled her mother in the apartment adjacent to hers and Archie drove Jughead to his old house, telling him to make himself at home (and dismissed all his concerns about Betty by saying she was asleep).

"Are you and the baby okay, Ronnie?" asked Archie, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I know this is breaking what we had originally planned of following tradition and all...I'm sorry if the stress is too much for you."

Veronica smiled, walked over to Archie and kissed him soundly, silencing any worries he may have had. "Archiekins," she said, pulling back softly, slowly caressing his cheekbone with her thumb, "you don't have to worry about me. Tomorrow is all we have to worry about; the happiest day of our lives - we're finally settling down for good. And who knows what may happen? Maybe we've ignored tradition for tonight - but who says we can't observe it tomorrow? You haven't seen my dress as yet."

He responded with a nervous chuckle, before firmly placing his hands on her waist and pulling her onto his lap amidst giggles from her, kissing his way from her earlobe to chin. She eventually grew tired of his ministrations and tugged at his pants, while he began pulling at the zipper of her dress.

"Archie," breathed Veronica, her voice falling soft as she whimpered at his kissing of her neck, "Stop."

"Why?" he whispered, pulling her dress off her shoulders. "It's our big day tomorrow after all."

"I think you mean...ah...today, Archiekins." Veronica pulled back to show him the time on the digital clock on her nightstand. The time read 00:23.

"Who cares," he muttered, standing up with her legs hooked at his waist, pressing his lips against hers.

"I do, Archie." She pushed away from him yet again, planting her feet firmly on the floor and walking towards their shared closet, determined to find her pyjamas. "We have to be up in less than seven hours, and I'm tired from all the bullshit that happened last night."

"And what about me?" he whined. Veronica smirked as she observed the bulge in his pants.

"I suppose you'll have to revert to old ways, eh?" She winked as he scowled at her. "The bathroom is empty," she called to him as she disappeared into the closet. "Use your hand and don't make a mess." She laughed as he muttered something about being cockblocked by his friends and their problems before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

Veronica searched for her favourite pair of purple silk pyjamas and changed quickly, glancing towards the white suit cover hung at the very end of her clothes rail - something Cheryl had only dropped off in secret whilst Archie had chased away the stripper they'd supposedly hired. Chuckling at the memory of Cheryl Blossom's idea of creating a smokescreen - similar to what Hiram Lodge may or may not have considered - she emerged from the room to find Archie in bed already, typing away at his phone.

"That was quick," she remarked, settling into bed. "Should I be worried?"

Archie shook his head, snorting. "I decided to leave it for tonight, Ronnie." He smiled as she placed a chaste kiss to his cheek, before bidding him goodnight and turning out the light.

He wandered purposelessly through the apps on his phone, deleting the useless ones, when an unknown number sent him a text, accompanied by a GIF of a white teddy bear clutching a heart saying 'Congratulations!'.

> _Marriage? My compliments to the happy couple._

Dismissing it as spam or the wrong number, he deleted the text and yawned, snuggling deeper into the pillows and switching off the light next to him, falling asleep in seconds.

His phone chimed out to indicate another text after he fell asleep, before it was immediately deleted.

> _Cherish it while it lasts._

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, B?" Veronica asked her friend worriedly, watching her in the mirror's reflection, as she did up her raven hair into a quick and casual chignon that matched the simplicity of her wedding dress.

"I'm fine, V," Betty replied, pinning a section of Veronica's hair into place with a bobby pin. She secured a delicate diamond pin atop the chignon, something Veronica had borrowed from her mother.

"There, that's your something borrowed then," Betty said, giving Veronica's hair one last check, before turning to fashion her own blonde locks into a messy French braid, ignoring the concerned look in Veronica's eyes. She sighed heavily and turned back to her. "Look, Ronnie, I'm really okay. I just had a moment last night; I wasn't expecting to see him. I'm sorry it ruined your night."

"It's okay Betty. It didn't ruin my night. We can always have another party, just you and me, okay?" Veronica squeezed Betty's shoulder as she passed by her to fetch her heels. "I'm sorry too for not telling you he was coming. I thought it would be a surprise."

"And what a surprise it was," Betty joked dryly, finishing off her plait with a rubber band. "By the way, V, I've arranged some ballet flats for you in case you get tired of wondering around in heels. The wedding is in a garden after all."

Although Veronica had always dreamt of a fairy tale wedding from the time she was a little girl, she'd slowly come to realise and appreciate the value of wealth over the years. Despite the Lodges still holding a considerable amount of money, Veronica had forgone going to Las Vegas or New York for the wedding - simply to eliminate any unnecessary spending. Rather, she'd opted for a simple, elegant but classy garden wedding hosted in Sunnyside Trailer Park, of all places. The former home of the Serpents had changed into a comfortable community play space for children and the Serpents and Pretty Poisons had insisted Veronica have her wedding there once they'd heard of her engagement - they simply wouldn't take no for an answer.

With Toni doing decor with the Poisons and Sweet Pea leading the Serpents (with a little help from FP and Alice on the side) to clear out the area, Betty was sure the park would be breath-taking. Andrews Construction had already erected a transparent tent - the company now happily run by Archie in his father's honour and memory - and hired out tables and chairs. The official ceremony would take place in the small chapel Riverdale called its own. Altogether, Betty was certain it would satisfy all Veronica's expectations, and this would be a day she'd never forget.

"I wouldn't worry, Betty, but thank you." Veronica fasted her high heeled pumps with lace detail. "Archie told me yesterday that he'd had a dance floor placed in the park, so I'll probably be dancing in my heels."

Betty nodded. "Nevertheless, just take them. I think you choose wonderfully with your dress, by the way."

"This isn't a dress, B. Calling it a dress wouldn't do it any justice." Indeed, although Veronica had decided to follow some traditions for her wedding day, one of the traditions she'd chosen to ignore was that of wearing an actual dress. Her pleated silk skirt with a high-low hem paired with a lace crop top gave her the illusion of a dress while maintaining the air of a calm and cool bride. A diamond encrusted belt around her waist completed the look.

Meanwhile, Veronica had neglected to mention the fact that her best friend had been dressing in a lot of black outfits lately (reminiscent of a certain beanie-wearing boy), as if she were going to attend a funeral at any minute. Currently, her Maid of Honour was her polar opposite, clad in a black embroidered floral net gown, adding to her height with heels; the dark colour so in contrast with the usual pastels Veronica was used to seeing her in.

"You're looking lovely, Betty," Veronica commented as Betty adjusted her plait so that it fell over her shoulder.

"Thanks V." Betty retrieved two flower headbands made of lilac roses and set one atop Veronica's head. "Cheryl made them and gave them to me this morning," she explained, adjusting the band until she was satisfied.

"There you are. A fairy princess," Betty finished with a flourish. "Do you want a veil, V?"

Veronica shook her head. "I'm breaking so many traditions, what's one more anyway?"

Betty placed her headband in her hair, positioning it so that it complemented her braid. "I forgot to ask you, V. Who's walking you in, you know, since your Dad......"

Veronica shook her head. "Daddy wouldn't even smile when I went to break the news of my engagement to him. All he did was spit on the floor and wished me a lifetime of disaster," she said, her tone full of resentment and disgust. "I've asked Smithers to give me away, considering how he's stood by my family through thick and thin."

"That's wonderful." Betty smiled at the thought of the kindly old butler being asked to give away the only Lodge he'd sincerely liked. "V, are you going to complete the 'Something old, Something new' tradition? I know this wedding was a way to break free of the old ones, but since you're already wearing your Mom's pin..."

"It's okay, B, I've handled it." She produced a diamond pendant necklace from a corner of the closet, showing it to Betty. "Archie gave me that this morning, so it counts for the 'new', and I've tied blue ribbons to the bottom of the bouquet, so we're covered there. As for the something old......My _Abuela_ sent me a pair of diamond earrings that've been in the family for generations," she ended with a smile, showcasing the antique earrings to Betty, who fawned over their lustre.

The girls were silent for a few minutes, as Veronica donned her jewellery, until Betty asked Veronica a question.

"Are you ready to do this, Veronica?" Betty looked intently into her friend's chocolate eyes, finding nothing but certainty. "Are you ready for the rest of your life?"

"It seems like all I was doing for the first part of my life was waiting for him," Veronica admitted. "Like everything was in black and white before he came, and when he entered my world - I saw everything in colour. Bright and vivid. He brightens my world, and I can only say that my life only truly began when I met him."

(Betty avoided thinking about the one person who'd made her see in technicolour. After he'd left, her world was nothing but greyscale, the only few bursts of colour brought in seldomly by her friends.)

"Oh, V." Betty hugged her best friend for dear life, letting a few tears run down her cheeks. "As long as you're content and happy, I am for you. Archie'll take care of you, I know him."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, B. For being my best friend, for being here as my Maid of Honour. And don't say that you weren't here for the past five years," she chastised, wagging a finger in Betty's face as she opened her mouth to argue. "Let me speak. You may have not been here physically, but you were with me in heart and spirit. You supported me when others did not. That's what counts. You may have been away, but you never failed to check up on me. And for that, I am eternally indebted to you."

 _You are my friend, and that is what counts_.

"I've done nothing, V. Truth is, I'm just as selfish as some of the worst people I know. But you're happy...so I am too."

They hugged for a minute more, both of them with tears in their eyes as they parted.

"Come Ronnie, let's go," Betty said, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"The bride can't be late for her own wedding, now, can she?"

* * *

The ceremony had been beautiful, echoing the deep love Archie and Veronica had for each other in the personal vows they'd written.

Archie had ended his off with a Nizar Qabbani quote, something that brought tears to every guest's eyes.

_"My lover asks me," he'd begun, smiling serenely at Veronica, "'What is the difference between me and the sky?' The difference, my love, is that when you laugh, I forget about the sky."_

With a few pictures outside the chapel - Betty trying her best not to cling to Jughead's arm and embarrass herself - the party departed for the reception, chattering among themselves. Betty tried in vain to move away from Jughead, who seemed determined to discuss the events of the previous night.

"I'm sorry, Betts," he called after her, following her as she walked purposefully after Archie and Veronica, who were still in their marital stage of bliss, ignoring anyone and anything in their path. Betty paused as her heart quivered at his use of her nicknamed he and _only he_ used.

"I told you, Jughead, it was nothing but shock. I hadn't seen you for five years and there's a lot of unresolved things between us," she lied, clenching her jaw. _This is a wedding, a time to celebrate, not a time to be morose and sad. Forget the past._ "I haven't been well lately, so it was probably due to stress or over-exertion."

"C'mon, Betts, please? Are we really going to do that?" he asked, watching as she turned around to face him. "Can we at least be civil for the sake of Archie and Veronica? We do have a dance later." He smiled as her frown vanished and extended his hand towards her. "So, friends again?"

"Friends," she agreed, nodding stiffly, shaking his hand with the lightest possible pressure, before dropping it and walking away, pushing the jolt she'd felt through her when she'd touched his hand.

Jughead Jones still had the same effect on her that he'd had all those years ago, whether she liked it or not. Not to mention, his tuxedo had looked especially appealing on his slender frame, the shirt tailored to his fit, emphasising his lean, muscular build in just the right places. The light blue of his eyes contrasted well with the faded grey of his beanie - which he'd refused to take off, even for the ceremony - reminding her of the insistent sparkle in his eye before he used to kiss her...

 _He has a girlfriend, Betty_ , she quietly chastised herself. _You're making no moves this time round._

Keeping that thought firmly in her head, she hasted her pace towards the reception area - something that wasn't easy with the shoes she was wearing - where Veronica and Archie were already welcoming guests. She found her place at the main table (ignoring the fact that Jughead was due to sit next to her) and sat down, nervously fiddling with the clasp on her small clutch, glancing at the setup around her.

Betty thought that Toni and Sweet Pea had done a good job of the place, with pastel and white coloured roses in burnished gold vases scattered around the place, marching the grass you could see clearly beneath the glass tables each group of guests were seated at. A white walkway was spread beneath the tables, leading to a small stage where, in front of garlands of white and lilac flowers, a white love seat was setup for the couple to sit and pose for photographs. A few of the larger trees even had wooden swings strung from their branches, where children happily played.

All in all, Betty was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed because of the workmanship, crafting, time and effort the respective gangs had went through to make sure Veronica's day was special, and disappointed in herself that she'd played no role in making sure that her Best Friend had the most memorable day in her life.

As much as Archie, Veronica, her mother and Charles assured her it wasn't selfish of what she did, leaving Riverdale behind, she knew that somewhere deep down, it had wounded them. Her conscience calmed down a little when she reminded herself of exactly why she'd left, but she couldn't help wondering how thing would have turned out if she'd taken a different route...

"Betty?" A notorious redhead and her pink-haired beau interrupted Betty's train of thoughts. "Hey, how are you?"

"Cheryl?" Betty gasped, taking in the girls, both donning their signature leather jackets over their scarlet bridesmaid dresses. "Toni? I'm sorry about last night......"

"Eh, it happens to us all, cousin," cut in Cheryl, waving off Betty's apology with a flippant hand. "Was he _that_ sexy that your hormones caused you to faint?"

"Now, now babe," said Toni, placing a hand on Cheryl's arm, winking at a spluttering Betty. "I'm sure Betty has been getting enough action while she way away. The New York guys must have been hot enough to sweep her off her feet."

 _Not as hot at Juggie, though_. Betty sighed, pushing away the thought.

"How's the gang, Toni?" she asked, adeptly changing the subject, before she looked down and noticed Toni's protruding stomach. "Oh my god......you're..."

Toni laughed, relaxing into Cheryl, who wrapped a casual arm around her shoulders. "That took you long to discover. Yep, I'm already 37 weeks along and am about ready to burst. It must be baby season or something, knowing that Veronica is expecting as well."

"When are you due?"

_You were due too early._

"Well, I _was_ due last week," Toni replied, screwing up her face in concentration. "But the doctor said to wait until tomorrow. If my water doesn't break, I'll have to be induced."

"Ouch." Betty winced, having heard from her mother's experience, that induced labour was _not_ something any woman should want. "Well, I hope he or she is healthy."

 _Like yours would have been, had you not done that._

"Thanks, Betty." Toni gave her a small smile, before gently elbowing Cheryl in the ribs. "I told her she has to carry the next one."

The redhead scoffed. "And ruin my figure? No thank you."

"We all have to make sacrifices for our kids, don't we?" Toni patted her abdomen.

 _Yours was the greatest._ Betty ignored her mind, blinking away the smattering of tears in her eyes.

"Anyway, how's Nana Rose? At Thistlehouse?" Betty asked, trying to distract Toni.

Cheryl shook her head, her grin fading. "She'd been down with ovarian cancer for the last three months or so. The doctor says she doesn't have much time left."

"I'm so sorry, Cheryl. I didn't know." Betty placed a comforting hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "I'll make sure that I come there one of the days."

"Anytime, cousin, anytime." Cheryl looked around them, watching the guests arrive in droves of three to four. "How's your life been up in The Big Apple?"

Betty shrugged. "I finished my degree in journalism, and Kevin just dabbled in directing a small play at one of the theatres in my district. Right now, I'm writing for a few small magazines. I haven't gotten my big break yet."

"I expect to see your name in The New York Times next year, cousin," Cheryl said, glancing carelessly at her nails. "Stop letting all that wonderful talent go to waste."

"Babe." Toni nudged Cheryl, observing the newly wedded couple and Jughead wonder over to the table. "I think we need to sit down now."

"Chat later, Betty." Cheryl gave Betty's shoulder a squeeze, following Toni to their seats. "Good luck with the speech," she called back.

Betty nodded and waved her thanks, pulling herself upright as Jughead sat in the seat next to hers. She pointedly looked forward, then sighed when Jughead began instigating conversation.

"Now that we're friends," he paused, smirking as Betty playfully sighed and rolled her eyes, "we should begin by catching up."

"What do you want to know, Jug-Head?" Betty couldn't stop herself from pronouncing his way like her mother used to do - she was tired and frustrated.

"What have you been up to?"

"I finished my journalism degree a year ago, and now I'm writing part-time for magazines. How about you?"

He shrugged. "This and that. I published my novel."

Betty's jaw dropped. "The one about Jason Blossom?"

He nodded, smirking at her shock. "You're not going to faint like last night, are you?"

 _Asshole_. She ignored his jab at her. "When did you publish it, and why did I not hear about it from your father?"

"You've seen my father?" Betty ignored his question, prompting him to first answer his. "Fine. Three years ago. I published it under a pseudonym. It hit the New York Times Hit List within a week."

"You wrote _A Tale of Murder_?" She still couldn't believe the scrawny sixteen-year-old, formerly a resident of a trailer park and her ex-boyfriend, was now a _published author_. "That book was the most reviewed and talked about in my college the year you released it. Wow, Jug. I'm astounded. You've always had a talent - and I knew someday I'd eventually be asking you for your autograph." She pushed a napkin across to him. "Today's that day."

"Thanks, Betts." He blushed awkwardly, reminding Betty of how red-cheeked he'd been when she'd removed her bra for the first time.

 _Shut up!_ she told herself, pushing all erotic thoughts of Jughead Jones, far _far_ away.

She wasn't sure what was bringing back this onslaught of memories from the past, from the time he'd met her at kindergarten, clutching a weed to put in her hair, to the time he'd kissed her in her bedroom for the first time, until the day of their breakup.

(She tried to forget the way he'd looked that day - like he'd lost his entire world.)

She opened her mouth to ask him another question, when the announcement for speeches was made. As a rule, the Lodges tended to always have a person of importance to the location speak at the wedding. Hermione was the one gracing the stage at the moment, tears on her face as she spoke of her daughter and their relationship. Despite the short length of her speech, she managed to capture the love for her daughter and keep the audience awestruck at the sacrifices she'd made for her. She concluded with her wishes of prosperity and success for the young couple, reminding Archie to always hold her darling close to his heart.

Whilst the guests clapped as Archie and Hermione hugged, dissolving any rumours of bad blood between them, Betty fished in her clutch for her speech cards, nearly dropping them in the process. She looked up when she felt Jughead's warm hand on her wrist.

"Show them who's boss," he whispered. She nodded, thankful for the support, and ventured to the stage.

"Hi," she said feebly, waving half-heartedly to the crowd. Someone impatiently cleared their throat as looked nervously towards her cards. Taking a deep breath, Betty steadied herself and began.

"My name is Betty Cooper, friend of the bride. She'd correct me in a moment and tell me I'm her best friend, but I'd disagree." She paused, glancing at the small frown on Veronica's face before continuing. " Why? Simply because I have not been present for the last five years of Veronica's life, and this is only a title which a person could only hold they've been by a person's side for most of their life.

"Yet, when I returned to Riverdale two days ago, Veronica welcomed me with open arms. Like nothing had changed. Like I hadn't abandoned her for five years. Such is the hospitality and kindness of one Mrs Archie Andrews. Her ability to be a loyal, compassionate and supportive best friend is what I admire about her the most. True, we have had our ups and downs over the years, but despite so many people leaving, she's always stood by my side, through thick and thin.

"I can't tell you how honoured I am to be standing her, sending my best friend off into the world. True, she'd seen more of it that I have" -Betty smiled as a chorus of chuckles came from the guests- "but this morning, she told me that she felt like her life was only beginning. And I don't think there's a luckier groom in this entire world today than Archie Andrews. Archie, I may have known you since we were kids, but I promise you this, you've joined forces with the most formidable woman in Riverdale, and you've made a solemn vow to take care of her. If you don't keep to that promise - I'll be running after you with a chainsaw."

The guests laughed as Archie called from their table, "Message received loud and clear, Betty!"

"Today, we have all been witness to one of the greatest unions, from which, I'm sure, much success would come from. Archie, Veronica - today I make a promise to you, much like the one you've made just made an hour ago. I swear that I will always be here for both of you, and promise, to the best of my ability, to support you no matter the cost, time or place. For all that you've so selflessly given up for me over the years - it's time I returned the favour, which I do solely out of my love for you both." Betty reached for a glass of champagne that someone had set on the small table next to the podium and raised it to the air. "To the bride and groom!"

She walked dizzily off the stage amidst applause, trying to ignore the flashbacks running through her head.

_A young couple, sitting on the banks of Sweetwater River. A crown beanie perched on the girl's head._

_"Juggie?" she asked, looking at him contentedly from the crook of his neck, "do you think we'll get married some day?"_

_She giggled as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What a question, Betts! You think I actually have an intention to marry anyone else other than you?"_

_There was something in the stark honestly of his words that made her heart clench. That even though he hadn't spoken in Shakespearian language or given her a poetic answer - the sincerity behind his words was what she valued most._

_"But what about all the other girls out there? The ones that are prettier and smarter than me?" Her breath hitched. This had always been one of her fears, that he'd find someone else, someone better than her and move on with his life._

_His insistent stare, cobalt eyes staring into her emerald green one's, made her turn her face away and glance towards the lilies growing on the water's edge. He gently grasped her chin and made her look at him._

_"Look at me, Betts. You know that I only have eyes for you, right?"_

"Betts? You okay?" She woke out of her recollection of their teenage years, to find Jughead looking at her worriedly, his hand clutching her shoulder. She nodded - anything to move away from him, and Veronica, who was also smiling at her, wholeheartedly - she must have liked the speech, then. 

(His gaze was just as intense as it had been that day on the water's edge.)

(She tried not to imagine how her wedding might have been, with a shiny white silk dress, and the man sitting next to her – in the same outfit.)

(Maybe her heart wouldn’t have felt the same emptiness it did now. Maybe she’d be in a better place. But she’d done what she had to do, what was best for them, so that they both could live a better life – and a better life they did live. Even though she was more damaged than ever before.)

Having seemingly sated his concern, he dropped his hand and waited to be introduced for his Best Man's speech. Betty rearranged herself on her chair, fiddling with the edge of her braid. The rest of the audience was still smiling and drinking amongst themselves, when, suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream from the opposite end of the park caught Betty's ear. Ignoring Veronica, Archie and the guests' quizzical looks at being broken out of their euphoric stupor, she ran as fast as she could in the direction the noise, trying to trek over rocks, dirt, grass and sand in her heels, Jughead hot on her trail, FP and Alice not far off behind him.

What she was faced with, she was not prepared to see.

Fangs Fogarty, lying slumped next to a tree, a wine glass next to him, blood oozing out of several stab wounds littering his torso, struck through his Serpents jacket. His usual bright eyes were glazed over, his face set in a frightened expression. The source of the scream, Kevin, was kneeling next to the corpse, tears streaking down his face.

"Kevin? Are you okay?" Betty rushed to her friend's side, whilst Jughead approached the corpse cautiously, examining the slant of the body.

"I...I... just found him like this, Betty," wept Kevin, wiping his cheeks with his hands. "He said he'd wait for me here, and then I found him......" He clutched desperately on to Betty as he dissolved into tears.

"Betty..." She perked up her head to glance at Jughead, who was staring, puzzled, at something in his hand that she couldn't see. "Are you sure your Dad is dead?"

She shook her head, frustrated and annoyed that he was asking a question at a time like this. She continued rubbing Kevin's back soothingly, whispering furiously to him, "Of course he's dead, Jughead! You were there with me when Penelope shot him in the head! Why are you asking me this now, of all times?"

Jughead dangled a bloodstained black hood in front of her face, the eyeholes looking like they'd been ripped into it by a child.

"Either Hal Cooper himself has been reincarnated, or we have another serial killer on the loose. Another Black Hood."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Welcome to Part 4!
> 
> And yes, I know I do owe a HUGE apology for the VERY VERY LATE update, but I was caught in the midst of exams and schoolwork that has just been piling up. This chapter did take me a while to work on, since I have no idea where this story is going but as we reach the middle of Riverdale Season 4 – please note that this fic complies only up to Season 3.
> 
> A big thank you to those who've commented and kudo'ed in the past months! Your replies make me smile! :-) (I have replied to any comments so far. Apologies for the late replies!)
> 
> I’m really sorry that this chapter is such a mess, and for such a short chapter. I do promise that the next one will be longer. Regardless, try to enjoy what was a fruition of several hours of work, and don't forget to kudo and comment!
> 
> P.S I'm sincerely sorry if you get frustrated by the constant use of parenthesis in the first scene. Note that it is used to convey the thoughts they want to say but can't.
> 
> P.P.S If anyone is up for being a Beta for me in this fanfiction and perhaps other future fanfictions and stories (I do write original fiction), please PM me or comment below. Thanks! xx

_Sometimes I think about how different things would be, if I hadn't done that. Where would we be now, if I hadn't made that decision for him and I and walked away to preserve what was left? If I had just listened to my heart and told him the truth? If I'd involved him, as was his right to know?_

_Maybe I wouldn't be so broken now._

_There are pieces of me scattered all over. Some hidden away, some clustered in corners, others lost for all eternity. But the most important part of me, has already disappeared. Vanished with another._

_Jughead Jones holds my heart, and there's nothing I can do to get it back._

_~ Extract from the diary of Betty Cooper, 18/05/2021_

* * *

“How is he? Kevin?”

Betty shook her head, pressing her index finger to her lips in an attempt to silence Jughead's loud voice. “He'll be okay. Soon, I think. He loved him though.”

“They were together?” She didn't miss the note of discomfort in his voice, at discussing someone else's relationship - and a subtle acknowledgement of their long, rusty history.

She shrugged. “As far as I know, they had been dating on and off for the past few years. He did come to my apartment on several occasions. I think this was meant to be a reconciliation between them since they had a rough breakup” -Betty shuffled to the couch, plopping herself on it, determined to ignore the awkwardness settling in the room- “and then, well......stuff happened,” she finished lamely.

Jughead groaned into a pillow, blinking away the few tears in his eyes. (Maybe, just maybe, Betty hadn't spotted them.) Despite him not having seen Fangs and the rest of the Serpents in a while, he had been the leader of the gang for quite a few years, up until before he left for university. The loss of one of his brethren and squad was just another addition to the number of people he'd lost in Riverdale, either through death or moving away.

Betty coughed awkwardly, shuffling to the edge of the couch seat before standing up, smoothening out the folds in the skirt of her dress. “I think we could all do with some tea……I’m putting the kettle on,” she piped up, despite noting that her former boyfriend’s choice of drink was usually a black coffee, she knew Veronica had stopped keeping coffee in her kitchen since her pregnancy. Jughead Jones would _never_ drink decaf, she mused, as she padded to the kitchen, stopping behind the counter to switch the kettle on.

Speaking of the wedded couple and their collapsed wedding – not soon after the body was found and FP had called in his department to help survey the scene, the guests had seemed to have entered a state of shock, not to mention the bride and groom themselves. A weeping Kevin had been consoled by Betty, whilst Jughead assisted his father on noting evidence. Archie had tried to regain some sense of normalcy by announcing that food would be served shortly – although Jughead did not deliver his Best Man’s speech – but nobody had had the stomach for food after the gruesome murder that had just taken place. With no choice left but to call of the wedding as guests left in droves of four, Betty had stayed behind with the Serpents and Poisons to clean up the tent of decorations, furniture and tableware, her mind focused on the image of Fangs’s corpse still in her memory.

She’d already sent Kevin back to the penthouse with Archie and Veronica, who had to travel to the airport that evening to leave for their honeymoon flight to Dubai, despite their being arrangements made for an autopsy and funeral service for Fangs. Although Veronica had tried to cancel the flight at the last minute, Betty had insisted that she and Archie continue as planned. She could see how both of them were blaming Fang’s death on themselves, and they needed some time away from Riverdale to come to terms with his untimely death.

After they’d departed from Sunnyside Trailer Park at around seven, Betty and Jughead had arrived at the penthouse, after finishing up with the final clean up in the wedding marquee, to find a deeply asleep Kevin, and an apologetic note from Veronica, stating that they’d only reach Dubai by the next afternoon. 

And now, here she was, making tea. Making tea, of all things, when one of Jughead's friends was _dead_ ……

Shaking her head to disperse her thoughts, Betty pulled out two gold-plated white mugs from the cabinet along with two teabags and set about making the tea. Topping off the mugs with generous amounts of sugar and milk, she held one in each hand and made her way back to Jughead.

She observed the raven-headed boy curled on the couch; his head still buried in a pillow that cushioned his head from his knees.

“Jug?” she prodded, setting the mugs on the table. He moved the pillow from his face, tilting his head towards her questioningly at the gentleness in her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Ye-No.” He glanced up at the ceiling in Veronica's apartment - ornate, decorated with an elegant ebony chandelier above him - and huffed a sigh.

(He could be honest with her, right? They were friends after all.)

(Friends. What a short word that failed to encompass all that they were. All that they had become. It sounded more and more unreal the more he silently repeated it to himself.)

“I'm not okay,” he reiterated, frowning dejectedly at the floor. “He was like my brother, you know. I just...I can't believe he's......gone.”

( _Like you went. Like how you were gone._

_You were my entire world. You completed me, made me whole. And when you were gone...I looked for my world everywhere, but I couldn't find it. It was lost.)_

Betty walked over to the couch and engulfed him in a hug before she could do anything to stop herself. He sat stiffly in her embrace for a moment, before he relented and relaxed in her arms, breathing in her scent through the net covering her shoulder.

“I'm sorry, Juggie,” she whispered. “I'm sorry.”

( _Juggie_. There it was. The old nickname only she'd ever used for him, belonging solely to her and no-one else.)

(She was sorry for so much more than Fangs. She was sorry for leaving him, for not giving him a choice, for not giving him a chance. But apologies are only needed at a certain time. And the time for these apologies had long passed.)

She lost track of time as they sat there, wrapped around each other. It felt so natural, so normal, so _calming_ ; she wondered how she'd survived without him these past five years. And that's when she realised...he felt like _home_. Like she was safe and secure with him. How she hadn't recognised it, she didn't know.

After some time, he was the first one to eventually let go, clearing his throat as he deftly wiped his cheeks free of the tears that had streaked down them. Betty released him from the embrace, and handed him a tissue, smiling sadly at him. He just shook his head, still incredulous and unable to accept Fangs's death.

“Did you tell his family yet?”

“Shit.” Betty ignored the expletive as Jughead agitatedly ran a hand through his already tousled hair. “I completely forgot…and they don’t even live here anymore, they moved to Chicago not long after I left for Columbia….”

Refraining from making a comment about why they’d moved so far away, Betty placed a gentle hand on Jughead’s shoulder. “Jughead…whatever you need, you know I’m here for you, right? That I’ll always be here for you?”

He just shook his head sceptically, lightly shoving her hand off his shoulder. “That’s a lie Betts, and you know it. If you were always here for me, then why did you leave? Why did you run away from me? Why did you leave me here, all alone?”

Betty opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it, knowing any additions on her part would just make their already tentative friendship go even further downhill. _Oh Juggie, if only you knew why I left……_

But his next words shocked her.

“You do know I can’t trust you, Betty? Not anymore.” He paused when he saw the dismal expression on her face. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. How will I know you won’t leave me–” Jughead cut himself off suddenly, having just realised what he had said.

“For what it’s worth, Juggie, I’m sorry…” She made an attempt at an apology.

“No. Don’t you dare. “Sorry” is not going to cut it this time. Don’t think you can come here, flash a pretty little smile and puppy eyes and hope all is forgiven.” He didn’t notice the glassy sheen in her eyes, how her hands began to steadily curl into fists. “Do you even know how much I _suffered_ when you were gone? How much I tortured myself, thinking I’d made a mistake and hoped that I could fix whatever it was I’d done. I called, I emailed, I asked around – but I could never reach you, nor find you. And some part of me suspected that you knew I couldn’t leave Riverdale to come to find you – I had my sister to take care of and a gang to handle, whilst my father played Sheriff. So, I, like a fool, waited. I thought you’d come back, so I stayed for a year, hoping that you’d appear one day and I could find out what happened, why you ran like that.

“And here I discover that Perfect Betty Cooper, who is entitled to do whatever she wants, left because she simply wanted to. Because she was tired of the small-town life and needed out, quickly. And no, she didn’t bother to tell anyone she was leaving, and she didn’t care that she would be betraying several people because of it. No, she did what she selfishly wanted, no concern for others around her: she left.”

He let out a hard laugh. “You know, people would say I’m the one who’d probably run when things go south, given my family’s track record. But you, Betty Cooper – you’d take the trophy for unexpected exits, if there ever as one.”

“You don’t even know why I left, Jughead!” Betty suddenly shouted, unable to control the building rage and hurt inside her. Tears fell in a steady stream from her eyes, her nails beginning to cut into the long-healed scars in her palms.

“Then tell me why you left, Betty! What was so terrible about Riverdale, about us, about _me_ ……that you couldn’t find it in yourself to say anything, but rather left? What was so _imperfect_ about life here that is so perfect out there?

“ _Why did you leave_ , Betty?”

She flinched at his words, her hand unintentionally resting against her abdomen, a gesture that went unnoticed by Jughead. She remained quiet – for if she told him why she really had left, and how she’d betrayed him – he’d never forgive her.

“No answer?” he remarked coldly. “Well, I guess that’s that.” He stood up from the couch and grabbed his beanie and blazer from where they’d been scattered on the cushions beside him, preparing to leave the penthouse.

He turned to her one last time before he left. “When you have an answer for me, Betty, do drop by. I’m sure it’ll be a _riveting_ conversation,” he concluded, unable to leave without having the last word. Without a glace back, he departed, leaving a weeping blonde girl with a broken heart alone in a prestigious apartment – droplets of ruby red blood welling from old scars that littered her palms.

The mugs on the coffee table sat untouched, tendrils of steam rising to meet the ceiling.

* * *

Betty awoke to the cacophony of an alarm blaring. Blinking furiously, she stretched out on her lush bed, snatching her phone from the bedside table and attempting to switch the alarm off, when she heard Kevin’s hoarse and apologetic voice call from the other guest bedroom, “Sorry, Betty! I forgot to turn it off before we left New York!”

Glancing at the clock on her phone, which showed the time as a quarter to twelve, Betty realised she’d slept for over twelve hours. _Twelve hours_. True, she had been exhausted from the previous day and night’s events – she’d stayed up late after Jughead’s abrupt departure – but she’d never thought that she’d be _this_ exhausted.

“It’s alright, Kev,” she called back, lazily sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I needed to get up anyway.”

As she rechecked her phone for notifications, she noted several missed calls from her brother and mother, as well as a few texts from Veronica.

But nothing from Jughead at all.

(Why did she expect anything from him anyway, when she didn't even have the same number anymore? Why did she think he'd call, or text, if he didn't know how to reach her?)

Sighing, she set about replying to Veronica’s texts, when, surprisingly, she received a reply.

**_Veronica. 7:00am:_ **

**_We’ve reached Dubai._ **

**_Staying for 5 days. Archiekins and I wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the Arab world._ **

**_How’s Kev and the rest of them doing?_ **

_Betty, 11:48am:_

_Hey, V. Good to hear from you. I hope everything is going well._

_He’s not doing too well, V. Fangs was his soulmate, I guess._

**_I know that wistful talk, Betty Cooper. Are you okay?_ **

_V? I thought you didn’t have Wi-Fi there._

**_Archie managed to sort something out. We’re at the Burj Al Arab now._ **

_Send pictures, please!_

**_I will, B. But now, tell me what’s wrong._ **

_It’s your honeymoon, V. I don’t want to make myself the focus of your holiday._

**_You’re my best friend, Betty. If you need me, I’ll be there._ **

**_What’s up?_ **

_Jug and I had a fight yesterday._

**_I’m sorry, B. What happened?_ **

_Well…he said some stuff. About me leaving._

_He wanted to know why I left. And when I didn’t say anything…he left._

**_Let him cool off for a while._ **

**_I’m sure he’ll come around._ **

_Idk. Maybe._

_I have to go and check on Kev. Talk later?_

****

**_👍🏽_ **

Betty set her phone down on the nightstand with a sigh, knowing she’d never get out of something once Veronica knew. She knew she’d be thoroughly questioned by the raven-headed girl when she was available, honeymoon, or not.

Then again, when Veronica replied……there was also the unasked question from her: _Why did you really leave, B?_ Truth be told, Betty had told not a single soul the real reason behind her rapid exit of Riverdale, not even Veronica, who’d accepted her partial answer, that she and her mother had fought and that she needed a new start – even though the real truth was in fact, quite far from that……

All everyone knew was that she’d left Riverdale abruptly after breaking up with Jughead due to ‘incompatibility’. No one knew why she’d really left, and no one had really asked, either – that is, until now.

She glanced at the time on her phone and realised it was now twelve, and that she _really_ needed to get up. Moping around in bed about her fight with Jughead wouldn’t help Kevin any more than it would help her. She stretched and began scrolling through Twitter on her phone whilst walking towards the kitchen, the back of her left hand stifling a rather large yawn.

“Hey, Kev,” she greeted the morose blonde in the kitchen, his usually neatly set hair unkempt. He nodded in acknowledgement of her greeting, before returning to his cereal and coffee.

“You’re feeling okay?” she asked in concern, as she spotted the dark circles beneath his tell-tale red-rimmed eyes, pale skin and tired expression. Kevin sipped away mutely at his coffee, not even pausing to reply to Betty.

“Kevin?” she asked again, louder this time.

“Sorry, Betty,” Kevin replied gruffly. He cleared his throat. “Sorry I’m so......off. Without Fangs I just can’t……”

Betty sat next to Kevin by the breakfast bar and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “No need to explain, Kev. I understand. You two were extremely close, and I knew you wanted to get back together with him. I'm sorry things had to end this way."

She let him sob into her ratty, white sleepshirt as she comfortingly stroked his hair - the pair sitting there for how long, Betty didn't know.

Finally, Kevin lifted his head from Betty's shoulder and rubbed his puffy eyes. "I'm sorry, Betty."

"Stop apologising!" she interjected, smiling in amusement as she handed Kevin a tissue. "I'm your best friend, Kevin - that means I'll always be here for you. Even if you did drag me by my ankles to get a lobotomy."

That statement got an awkward chuckle from him, at least. Betty kissed his cheek affectionately, then set about making her breakfast.

"Betty...what time did Jughead leave last night?" Kevin enquired casually as he skimmed that morning's copy of _The Register._ His eyes darted to the two empty mugs drying on the dish rack before turning back to the newspaper.

Betty leaned against the marble tabletop, taking a sip of her rose tea before replying. "I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention to the time......why do you ask?"

"I could have sworn I heard raised voices......?" Betty stiffened and swiftly turned her back to him, busying herself with chopping up strawberries to have with the leftover crumpets Veronica had told her were in the refrigerator.

"Nothing happened, Kevin," she answered, hoping he didn't detect the waver in her voice. She slid the remaining fruit pieces off the chopping board and into a small bowl.

“Betty, please, if something’s wrong, you need to tell me…”

Betty turned to face her best friend and embrace him. “I’m not the one who needs support right now, Kevin. You do. And you know if you need me, I’m always here for you.”

She let go of Kevin, the conversation’s unexpected turn reminding her of last night’s argument with Jug- _him._ As Betty walked towards the fridge, her phone let out a piercing ring.

“Who’s calling at this time of the morning? It should be a crime to call at this time.” Kevin glared passively at Betty’s phone that lay vibrating on the countertop.

“It’s nearly lunchtime, Kev,” Betty responded dryly to Kevin’s joke, glad that he still had a small sense of humour, despite the glazing of his eyes. She glanced at the caller ID before answering. “Hey, FP, is everything okay?”

His next words made Betty freeze.

“What do you mean, there’s been another murder?”


End file.
